1996 Ford Escort was taken to Pat at Precision Auto Repair around 10am on 10/22/10 by recommendation of Tate's Minute Mechanic. The vehicle would not turn off even without key in ignition, and it was taken in for an estimate for repair. Pat said he would call later after looking at it. He did not call by 4pm, so I called him. He said that it was just looked at, and it was determined that whoever had replaced the cooling fan had done it incorrectly, and wires melted together causing the car to overheat when idle and also caused this problem. He said that it would need a new part, but he would have to order tomorrow. I asked how much this might cost, and he said "I don't know, we'll have to see how much the part is". On Tuesday, I did not hear back from Pat again about the cost or ordering the part, so I called him back at 2:25 on 11/23. He said he ordered the part and it should be in tomorrow (11/24). I asked again how much this might cost, and his response again was "I don't know". On Wednesday, 11/24, Pat called at 9:40am and told me that the car was fixed and was ready to be picked up. He never called me to tell me an estimate on the part or the repair and just fixed it without my permission, and he must have known that money was a concern since I asked him 3 times already.
I called him back and asked him if he could work out a payment plan with me like he has done for coworkers in the past because of where I work, and he said no. I also told him that Minute Mechanic had recommended him to me and that they always work out a payment plan for me, so he could check them as a reference, but he said he can't do that even though I told him that I cannot afford that repair for $255.
If I had known that the repair would cost anywhere over $100, I did not want the vehicle worked on since it was still running and I could take it back home and deal with it until I could afford it. Instead now, I have no vehicle because I can't afford to pay for the repair that I did not authorize that he made. I would like my vehicle back either without the new part, or paying only for the part and not the labor.